Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s proposal to allow cash-poor New York localities to lower pension payments now and pay more later has gained steam with state legislators — to the chagrin of fiscal watchdogs.
Both the State Senate and Assembly included the so-called pension smoothing proposal in their one-house state budget resolutions. Though these are nonbinding public statements of spending priorities, the resolutions signal what issues are in the mix as lawmakers try to adopt a budget by the April 1 deadline.
One key lawmaker predicted the state budget will include some form of Cuomo’s pension plan. “I think we probably will have an agreement on the governor’s pension bill,” Senate co-leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) said after meeting with Cuomo and other legislative leaders….
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